


Helianthus

by sophiamggwelsh



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Pre-Relationship, post redemption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-10 08:25:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7837537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophiamggwelsh/pseuds/sophiamggwelsh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Pearl and Jasper use the language of flowers to talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Helianthus

Pearl’s attention wasn’t in the right place at the moment. Her attention should have been on the cards in her hands and her fellow Crystal Gems as they played Go Fish with Steven. But instead her eyes bounced from warp pad to front door to warp pad again. Every time her turn came around, Amethyst had to nudge Pearl to get her back into the game. At least, Pearl thought, they have decency to not bring up Jasper. She knew they knew what was wrong, they had been there when it happened after all.

Steven had barely finished breakfast that morning when Garnet sensed gem activity in the strawberry fields. The gem in question was enormous, something no one gem could easily take down on her own. But Pearl had seen an opportunity to trap it so she just went for it. And failed miserably. The monster could have poofed her, or even shattered her, if the other Gems hadn’t come only moments later. Jasper performed the finishing blow, and quickly bubbled the gem before it could reform. Despite Pearl’s pride crawling its way through her body, she was about to thank Jasper for saving her when Jasper started _reprimanding her_! Like Pearl was the new Crystal Gem instead of Jasper, telling her that she wasn’t nearly strong enough to take that monster on alone. That if Pearl really wanted to try that, she should have gotten her. That was what had set Pearl off.

Before Jasper was their ally, she was just another Home World soldier berating Pearl on how weak and defective she was. But Jasper’s loyalties had eventually shifted and she had actually apologized to Pearl, more than once, about saying those things. And the logical part of Pearl could hear the way Jasper was saying it now was not malicious like before, just a fact that Jasper was physically stronger than Pearl. Pearl knew this, and wasn’t she always going on about being strong in different ways? But the illogical part of Pearl, that dark place fed by long instilled insecurities about her strength and abilities, became defensive. So the two yelled and Pearl had stomped off to the warp pad, warping back to the temple. A few moments later, the other Crystal Gems warped in, minus Jasper. Garnet had assured Pearl that Jasper just needed to walk it off and would return when she was ready.

That had been this morning, and now the orange and pink light from the setting sun was coming in through the windows and Jasper was still not back. Jasper and Pearl had been getting closer recently, and Pearl was afraid that this would set their progressing friendship back. She had been angry before, but now she just wanted Jasper to come home so they could move past this. Just as Pearl was about to suggest going back and looking for her, the familiar sound of the warp pad went off and they all turned to look.  
At the first signs of that white mane, Pearl felt relief wash over her. She was afraid that Jasper would take days to come back, time being so different for Gems. Jasper looked nervous, eyes darting around the room before locking on Pearl’s. 

“Jasper! You’re back.” Pearl hadn’t even felt herself stand, but there she was, standing and locking eyes with Jasper. She hadn’t planned on what she was going to say next so the next few seconds stretched over in silence.

“Steven. Amethyst.” Garnet’s calm voice broke through, “Let’s go pick some sea glass for Peridot’s new art project.” Before Pearl could beg them to stay, the three were up and out the door.

Pearl turned back to see Jasper step off the pad and make her way over to her. Pearl had been so concerned on Jasper’s expression, she hadn’t noticed what she was holding at first. Gripped in her large fists were long green stalks, five or six feet long it looked like. Then Pearl realized: they were sunflowers. Jasper stopped a couple feet away from Pearl, gaze shifting to her feet. After another agonizing pause, Jasper started, “Listen… What I said was dumb and I was just worried about- that is…here.”

Jasper held out the massive bouquet of sunflowers to Pearl. Pearl stood there, flabbergasted, attention bouncing back from the flowers, to Jasper’s increasingly red face, then back to the flowers. When Pearl didn’t grab them right away, Jasper filled the silence again. “I saw it on one of those shows Steven watches. It’s an Earth thing, right? To bring flowers when you want to say sorry?”

Pearl noticed now that Jasper’s hands were dirty. Jasper’s hands were muddy and she had picked flowers for Pearl and she was sorry. A smile was starting to form at the corners of Pearl’s lips as she finally reached forward to accept the giant flowers. “Thank you, Jasper.” Pearl knew she should say more, but there was something giddy and warm building inside her she didn’t want to ruin.

“I picked them because they reminded me of you,” Jasper said, louder, quicker, as if she had just gotten the courage to spit that out. 

“They remind you of me? How so?”

In a softer voice, Jasper said, “You know they’re…long and skinny.”

Pearl wasn’t sure if she heard right. “You picked these because…I’m skinny?”

Jasper let out a frustrated sigh and buried one hand in her hair. “No, I mean, they’re strong, stronger than other flowers. And- and beautiful. Like you.”

Pearl did not have a response for that. She had never put a lot of thought into Earthen plants before. That had always been Rose’s thing. Roses. Those were the only flowers that had ever held Pearl’s attention. But these flowers were so different, large and bright and wild looking. 

“Thank you,” Pearl said again. “You know, they remind me of you, too.”

Jasper lifted an eyebrow at this. “Yeah? How so?”

“The golden petals. They’re just like your eyes. Lovely.”

Jasper’s jaw dropped, then picked up into that huge lopsided grin that took up half her face and was completely contagious for Pearl. So they stood, beaming at each other. Jasper's smile said she was sorry, and Pearl’s said she forgave her, and was sorry too. 

“Why don’t we go put these in water? And tell the others they can stop eavesdropping now?”

**Author's Note:**

> I imagine Jasper spent hours walking through wildflowers, saw the sunflowers and thought, "These are huge and grand therefor must be the best and that's what I'm gonna get Pearl"
> 
> Talk to me at [my tumblr!](http://the-panda-palace.tumblr.com/)


End file.
